Roasted salsa and portabella enchiladas... I'm a fan! I can't believe I've never been here. Â Hottie and I are always on the hunt for good Mexican food. Scottsdale falls short every time. Â This is actually a pretty quick drive for us, with the 202 right behind us. Â Okay back to the food. I tried the veggie enchiladas and the portabella mushroom enchiladas. Both were good, but I don't' think I would ever order anything but the mushroom enchiladas again. They were the most delicious enchilada I've ever had... topped with a marsala sauce.. OMG!!! Â For desert we had an apple crisp made with a sopapilla and topped with ice cream, a great alternative to fried ice cream. Â I'll be back!!!
Review Source:One of my favorite places for tasty New Mexican Food in the Valley. Redecorated since I was here last time. What an improvement. Outside and inside are nicely done up with a comfortable rustic vibe that makes you feel right at home. You can smell the aroma of the Pecan Wood as you get out of your car. Gets me excited right away. Nice!
Been here maybe a couple dozen times or more. Sometimes on business and the food is always delicious. Great place to take friends visiting or clients from out of town.
Some of the items we enjoy are the FREE Fire Roasted Salsa with Tri-Colored Tortilla Chips, the Fresh Guacamole, Green Chile Lobster Dip, the Adobe Salad, the Carne Adovada, the Taos Combo, the Santa Cafe, Chorizo Stuffed Chicken, Spooning Rellenos, Last Night's Meat Loaf, and a few of my all time favorites when I am not paying, the Land of Enchantment, the Oscar Medallion and the Tucamcari. Too many to list them all.
What makes the difference here is the way they fire roast their tomatoes, peppers, and onions for the salsa as well as the meats they grill using that delicious Pecan Wood. Oh Yeah!
Can get pretty busy during peak hours and the service sometimes is a little spotty. Ask for a table next to the windows or up front. The back section requires a flash light to read the menu and see the food. Good thing I have one on my Smart Phone. Simply Delicious!
We went here on Cinco de Mayo. Fortunately, I was able to make a reservation for 4 two hours in advance.
When we got there and found that the food was Southwestern/New Mexico style instead of Mexican, I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, Yelp said this was Mexican food, and it was definitely New Mexico-inspired, Hatch chile-laden cuisine. However, we just got back from Santa Fe and Albuquerque a few weeks ago and were eager to get some more of the cuisine we had there.
I have two friends that ripped Blue Adobe Grill to shreds with their reviews, mostly because of the service. Fortunately, I didn't have 30 people in my party, so the service was a bit better. But to say it was great would definitely be lying. Service was slow but adequate...and probably cost this rating the fifth star.
But the food was absolutely incredible. All four of us were impressed! The chiles made the food spicy hot...but not at the expense of flavor. The meats in our dishes were incredibly tender, including the shrimp in my enchilada. Shrimp is so often overcooked and tough...but not this dish.
Additionally...some of the best chips and salsa you'll ever eat is right here.
If you're used to Taco Bell...skip this place. But if you like good food, spicy food, and don't mind being a little patient with service...this is the place.
Oh damn. This place is in a pretty innocuous-looking building (save for the Blue roof!) just outside downtown Mesa. A very casual atmosphere that was desolate at 4:30 but filled up entirely before 5:30. They serve 'a' Sleepy Dog beer (yay, locals!) but that's one more than you usually see on tap. Â
I ordered the Carne Adobado (Adovada here, you know how Spanish be) and my Moms had the 'Taos' plate, which comes with a Chile Relleno and a bunch of other things that were unidentifiable under a blanket of cheese (not always a bad thing).
The food came out within 20 minutes and was piping hot. It couldn't have been any better. The last 'chill' in Arizona before the swelter really starts had just hit, so the moment was perfect for something spicy. The adobado is basically cubes of pork in a spicy/powdery sauce with rice and beans on the side so you can make mini-tortillas out of the stuff. The pork is that "fall apart" slow-cooked type that takes years to master.
The server didn't seem to care much for us (the guy could not smile, I swear--but the Boston Marathon bombing had just happened so maybe he was affected) but he was quick and helpful. The price point here is "two" dollar signs but the adobado is really only one (10.95). Oh, before I forget, they are one of those rare Mexican places that still give you free chips and a tasty chipotle salsa.
In town on last day of western holiday, craving some Southwest flavor
After 10 years in Houston, followed by 12 years in 'Mexican cuisine hell'....Europe, Cincinnati and now Charlotte.....we were blessed to find Blue Adobe near our hotel
Meal was outstanding. Â Wife had tamales, oldest son had house specialty carne adovada, and I had jambalaya....yes, I said jambalaya.
All were flavorful, spicy and smokey, and did not disappoint. Â New Southwest flavor with kick, heart and soul
Highly recommend a stop in when you are in Mesa area
This place exemplifies the idea of service! We walked in, and the place was booked for the entire night. It was 4:30 pm on a Saturday night! The hostess agreed to find us a seat, thankfully, as we were away from our normal hood and excited to return to Blue Adobe. We have been here several times and we love it! The food and service was outstanding! Our server, Jessica, was attentive and awesome! Our food was quick and yummy. The drinks were superb. Go here, you will not regret it!
Review Source:As I write this review I am stuffed to capacity on delicious New Mexico Style Mexican Food. I came here after work to grab some food to go on the way home. While waiting for my takeout I was treated to some delicious chips and salsa and had an ice cold beer off the tap, the blue salsa was definitely a treat. I ordered the Chiles Rellenos stuffed with cheese served "Christmas Style." It was equally delicious and filling. I think I'll become a regular here.
Review Source:Buried deep in the heart, or the seedy underbelly, of increasingly barren Country Club Drive is a re-purposed chalet-type building that houses the best New Mexico style cuisine this side of the Santa Fe divide. In town for a conference, we had heard positive whispers, and we were rewarded with fiery adobe salsa, dark and rich, with our chips, a peerless pulled pork adobo sandwich which was outrageously delicious, pecan grilled chicken that was moist and flavorful, and all of it popped. The parking lot fills astoundingly quickly as the smart business folk along this corridor pile in as if on cue, but the servers are used to the rush and the staff doesn't hesitate to educate newcomers. Would that they would franchise themselves to Tucson...
Review Source:I've had their dinner numerous times & have always enjoyed it, but this is the first time I've had their breakfast, Â and I've got to say..... DAMN! I absolutely loved it! I had the green pork & eggs & my husband had the green chilli biscuits & gravy. Both were phenomenal! They have a Benedict that looks great. We will definitely go back. If you like spicy New Mexican breakfast, you have to check this place out.
Review Source:Skip this place! Â Service is terrible. Â The place was empty except for one other table but we couldn't even get seated because everyone except the bartender was talking in the kitchen. Â We could hear them in there but apparently they couldn't hear us (Hello? Â Do we seat ourselves? Â Anyone back there?)
After about 15 min. of waiting (with the bartender just starring at us the whole time) the single table of  people in the dinning room told us that they just seated themselves so they could at least get some drinks started (They ordered a few beers at the bar and then sat themselves down).  We waited another 15 min. but no one appeared to give us menus, say hi, or take our order...the bartender pointedly ignored us also as he was busy...  doing something...  We finally left without ever setting eyes on a hostess, a waitress or the menu.
For my birthday dinner, I wanted something I hadn't had in a long time - added bonus that it was a new experience for my husband. Â After dropping our daughter off at Grandma's House for the night, my hubby and I scooted over to Blue Adobe.
The place isn't much to look at - this section of Mesa has been hit hard by economic hard times and residents that don't give a rip about their surroundings. Â It's a quaint little building and lo and behold, a barbecue joint is next door - not sure when that happened.
We walked in and were immediately greeted. Â The woman even guessed who I was, based on a phone call I made there and hour and a half earlier. Â It was a crowded Friday night and almost every table was filled except one in the middle - ours!
Our waitress was immediately at our table asking for our drink order. Â My husband asked for her recommendation and she had several. Â for me - it was hard to decide between one of the pasta dishes; the chimi or the Carne Adovada. Â In the end, the adovada won!! Â
It didn't take us long to notice the deftness of the staff. Â Almost IMMEDIATELY after a party left a table, a young man swooped in and prepared the table for the next diners - maybe 30 seconds flat! Â He was also quick to fill our glasses of water and remove unwanted dishes off our table. Â
The salsa was a nice break from traditional Mexican salsa. Â It had a deeper, richer flavor to it - smokey and complex. Â The chips were perfectly seasoned - not to salty, not too bland. Â Nice thickness on them as well (I can't stand thick chips!!)
When our entrees arrived, we were ready to face the fire! Â My husband's Taos Combo had a pork tamale, a tenderloin relleno and a shrimp enchilada. Â It was a great way to be introduced to New Mexican cuisine. Â I had a bite of the enchilada and the relleno - the tenderloin in the relleno had a deep smokey flavor.
My Carne Adovada was incredible! Such complexity! Â The heat snuck up on you and surrounded you - not a bad heat like eating a habanero, but a rich heat that built up over time. Â The meat was tender and flaky and smothered in that deep red/brown sauce. Â The rice had that same distinct New Mexican richness to it that traditional "Mexican" or "Tex Mex" doesn't offer. Â My only complaint was the lack of a vegetable. Â I would have preferred something like a succotash or even just some diced tomatoes instead of beans. Â We ended up asking for some sour cream to tame the heat a little and what ended up happening (for me anyway) was that the sour cream accentuated the deep complexity of the spices - I tasted more of the preparation behind the adovada. Â
My husband ordered a "birthday treat" for us - the pumpkin brulee, which is only available during November (yay for having a November birthday!). Â We wondered if we were going to be able to eat it - what with feeling like we just ran into a wall with all that good adovada and tamales in our bellies, but we were both surprised how much we powered through that brulee. Â It was perfectly done - PERFECT!! Â The pumpkin flavor was obvious without being overbearing. Â It was surprisingly light.
We were really impressed with our dinner and the service. Â We had the Carne Adovada and the Rellenos - both blew us away because the flavors were well balanced, the meats were cooked appropriately and the sides were delicious.
We are from the Twin Cities (Minnesota) and appreciate great Mexican when we can find it. Â Highly recommended and we will return next time we are in town.
I rarely disagree with Yelp reviews so I'm very puzzled by the experience I had here today, given the majority of good reviews.
First, the reason I decided to try this place was because we were in the area and it was ranked high on yelp. Perfect.
We walk in and it smelled funky in there. Like a heavy cleaner smell. It was really offputting.
We were waiting awhile before someone actually came to the host stand. Greeting was pretty icy. The guy was really weird. He grabbed some menus and handed my kids these doodle boards, which is great in theory, except for the fact that they were absolutely filthy.
The whole place was empty, except for one other couple, and the guy sat us right next to them. What's up with that? You could tell they were kind of thinking why we were sat so close to them when the entire restaurant was empty too.
It took us awhile to get through the menu. We didn't really get the whole Santa Fe concept and it would have been nice for someone to have explained their concept, as any server even half way paying attention could have seen we were having trouble deciding.
Also, we were there during a typical happy hour, but there was no happy hour menu or signage. I had to ask if they offered happy hour and what the drinks/items were, which irritated me.
So the guy that got us our drinks who we thought was our server, disappeared, and another server introduced herself and had a much better personality than the guy. She was very friendly, and talked up the menu quite a bit. Specifically saying how great the seafood is. Well, being from the east coast, we love seafood and settled on the lobster enchilada and salmon blt. My sister ordered a mini chimichanga.
The chimichanga was ok. I've had better. But it was a generous size. My dish and my mom's...terrible.
I got the salmon blt. The salmon was cooked fine. It wasn't dry. But it wasn't fresh. By a long shot. Very fishy. So gross. The bacon was greasy. The tomatoes were old and there was no lettuce. I was also expecting a fresh, authentic sopapilla, and a got a dry roll.
My mom's dish. Just bad. Rancid. And there is NOTHING worse than bad seafood. Our server deflected and said "hey I recommended the shrimp so you can't blame me." Instead of apologizing, offering her something else or comping the offending dish. Unprofessional.
A few positives...the bathroom was spotless and my margarita was good. The salsa is good. And our server was great until the end.
Overall, very disappointed.
Ok.. so I saw quite a few Blue Adobe to Dick's Hideaway comparisons in the reviews. Dick's Hideaway is my favorite Arizona Restaurant, so I had to give it a shot. I pulled into an empty parking lot.. not a good sign. Walked into an empty restaurant.. another bad sign. I was worried that maybe I had selected a dud for the date night I had set up with my fiance who was meeting me there. I sat down, and immediately ordered a carafe of margarita. Then I watched my server pour a shit load of booze into the carafe, before adding his other flavors.. a great sign! Pamela showed up, to a glass full of potent, and tasty margarita.. and some of the better chips and salsa I have had.
Our waiter, who was awesome btw.. recommended the Carne Adovada Enchiladas. This is what I ordered. Pamela got the Oscar Medallion: A small steak with crab meat on top of it, served with pasta and asparagus.
My enchiladas were legit. Tender pork, delicious chili sauce. Cheesy, meaty, tortilla-y goodness. Highly recommended. Pamela's steak was perfectly cooked, and was butter knife slice able. The crab on top was a nice touch. The pasta however, was a real miss. It was a super limp, greasy mess on the plate. Very heavy.. not appetizing. Neither me, or my fiance cared for it.
Back to the Margaritas. I am not big on margaritas. They sometimes give me heart burn. Blue Adobe Grille's Killer Margarita was great. That carafe got my chick drunk. It got me a little tipsy, and I can hold my own. It was tasty. Not too sour. Not too sweet. No chest pain.
I am not sure why this place was empty. My friend told me that when he had visited, it smelled like a mop and bucket inside. It smelled fine in there to me. I did notice complaining about his in other reviews though. Minus the pasta, my experience was awesome. I will be back to explore their very affordable menu. Maybe drink some margaritas, and watch he game at the bar-
Been two to three times and liked it very much.
Pro's
- chips and salsa really good. Â Significantly better than the usual fare
- pulled pork was super!
- atmosphere great
Con's
- servers okay. I wouldn't say overly helpful. Â So this was/is a letdown
I will continue coming here. Â Good value!
I've heard great things about this place, and eating here did not disappoint! For starters, my friend and I had 2 mimosas. Added fruit to the drink just made it even tastier. My friend noted that the drinks weren't "strong" so the waiter gave us 2 free extra drinks! For an appetizer, we ordered a $6 red velvet pancake with cream cheese icing on top. This is one of the better pancakes I had. I could eat this everyday for breakfast! The next item we had was the tenderloin enchiladas! We ordered the double stacked for $12.95. Next off we had the $9.95 Blue Adobe Burger. This is ranked in Phoenix "top 10 burgers." My favorite part was the red velvet cake! Superb dish that I will have to come back for again! Yum! What a great "New Mexican" experience!
Note: The beans, rice, and fries are just average.
Wow!!!!
My boyfriend suggested this place and when I asked him the type of food he mentioned something about burgers....after taking a look at their reviews on Yelp figured it would not hurt to check it out.
The service was great; our waitress was extremely friendly and prompt with getting us refills on our chips & salsa - which we needed a lot of because they were amazingly good. The salsa had the perfect amount of seasoning to make it spicy enough to have you going for more without burning your mouth off. The chips were warm out of the oven and I could have ate a basket full!
They offer Sangria (white or red) by the pitcher - sure enough we ordered a red one. It was really good and I was pretty lit after my first drink.
I had the Chimichilada - you get a choice of beef or chicken chimi, I had the beef and you also get a portabella mushroom enchilada. This dish was delicious and will go back for more. You get a lot of food on this plate so you will more than likely have enough for lunch the next day and it was just as divine a day later.
My boyfriend ordered the Blue Adobe Hamburger which was voted onto Phoenix's top 10 - hence why I thought it was a burger joint.
We had a wonderful experience, amazing good and will be frequenting Blue Adobe more often.
We were craving for New Mexican food, particularly Dick's Hideaway, but I remembered previewing the menu at Blue Adobe Grill and seeing that they offered similar dishes at a more affordable price. Also, being that it's in Mesa (we're in Chandler) it seemed like a great time to give this restaurant a try.
The BF ordered the shredded beef enchiladas, christmas style and added a fried egg on top. I had one of the specials where you can pick two or three items for a set price. I chose the carne adovada (what I was craving) and a garden enchilada christmas style. Both dishes came with rice and beans.
The verdict:
Carne Adovada: Tender and flavorful. Good, but I prefer Dick's.
Garden Echiladas: Sucked. Filled with shredded carrots & zuchinnis. Menu stated mushrooms, but I didn't really see or taste any. Green sauce was really spicy. Too spicy for me. Red sauce was better, still spicy but not that much better.
Shredded Beef Enchiladas: Really good. I enjoyed this the most, well the red sauce side. Something I noticed was this red sauce tasted better than the red sauce on my garden enchilada. Suppose to be the same, I think.
Rice and Beans: Blah. I barely touched this. Rice was okay I guess but beans didn;t really suit my taste.
All in all. 3 stars, A-OK. Pretty much all I have to say. I wouldn't suggest coming here but wouldn't mind going if someone else suggested it.
I rarely disagree with the average yelp ratings... I tried Blue Adobe based on great reviews but was greatly disappointed.
I really can't find a redeeming quality about the night... I had their "killer margarita" which is a cheaper house margarita, it was lousy, i was a bartender for some time myself, there is no reason to make a margarita that bad, you can do better, especially here in AZ we are a mecca of citrus!
The bean and cheese dip appetizer was uninspired, nothing special... I saw lobster tamales on the menu and couldn't get past them, i could not think of a way that someone could make a tamale with lobster and make it well, so i was really excited to see how they do it... poorly was how they did it, lobster was over cooked there was very little of it in the tamale and the biggest issue was exactly what i thought it would be, the corn masa just overpowered the little lobster that was in the tamale... they could have put imitation crab in there and saved them self a bunch of money and it would taste the same... it just doesn't work! There was a raspberry chipotle sauce on the side that was very good, but again this too took away from the whole point of the dish: the lobster. Â
tried a chimmichunga, whatever, not special. Â
service was no good, our waitress was very frantic, I felt like i was a burden or a bother to her (and no, I'm not. I've spent years in food service, makes you very kind to your server)
It seems like snow birds keep this place in business, the restaurant was full of them... they must forget what their experience was like over the summers...
One of the two best New Mexican style restaurants in the East Valley and to boot, it's been here for a long time. Â Rustic southwest decor with fun, friendly, and at times eclectic personalities to serve you, PLUS flavorful dishes with hints of red and green chile or both if you'd like.
We went there on New Year's Eve well after the bedroom community schedule keeper's had eaten and rather than close early like many places, they were open and running on all cylinders having fun alongside all the guests.
If you're  thinking of giving this place a shot, try the Carne Adovada as it's the best in the county, hands down.  If you've been before and have tried the Carne Adovada, give the meat loaf a shot.
Lastly, very good salsa and a full bar and there's a window for pick-up orders and that's something all restaurants should have.
{Actual Date of Visit: 11/22/11}
I went here with some friends at the suggestion of a classmate who is native to New Mexico. Â I had tex-mex food when I was last in N.Mexico and loved it. Â I had the Garden Enchilada which was tasty. Â I appreciated the fact that they had some nice veggie options and in different sizes. Â The Daiquiri was outstanding! Â My friend loved her Chorizo Stuffed Chicken but the chili pepper mashed potato was dry. Â The waiter was cute and very personable. Â He traded out our traditional salsa for the bean dip which was yummy! Â Overall it was a good experience, but I would have to go back and try more things to see their range.
I was very hopeful for this place. I ordered the carne adovada and my honey ordered the stacked enchiladas. He said I should give it a one, but I have definitely experienced worse, overall. The waiter was good, he brought us everything and it was all correct. He only forgot to bring me an extra tortilla, but later remembered toward the end of my meal. And on the topic of that, the tortillas were pretty bad. Definitely mass produced right here in the factories of the good ol US of A. My adovada was chile-y.. is that a word? It tasted just like chile powder. And the enchiladas were nothing to brag about. Honey hated them. No one was overly nice, although the setting was cute. Kids liked their chicken quesadilla. But they're kids. And it's a quesadilla.
I can't bring myself to giving this place any more than a 2 star. Maybe I just had too high of hopes for this place... eh...
The series of 1 star reviews below is unfair, they place only has like 30 chairs in it total, in order to serve 30 people at one sitting, they would have to close the restaurant down. Â I wish there was a civil service requirement where everyone would have to work in a restaurant. Â The fact that these people assume they are the judges of east valley taste is ridiculous, I would hate to be around a table of 30 people all scheming to write bad reviews of the place their still in...
Enough ranting. Â The service here is very nice, the staff knows the place backwards and forwards and the decor is well kept and very Northern New Mexican. Â It's a little disconcerting from the outside, par for many great places in Mesa.
The food is spectacular. Â This is food that it takes time to make. Â Pecan wood smoked shrimp, pork abodova all take time and good ingredients to get right.
We did it right here. Â Had the New Mexican Corn Chowder to start, creamy and delicious. Â Margaritas are huge and very good.
For dinner I had the Taos platter, Tenderloin Rejeno, Shrimp Enchilada and smoked pork tamale. Â All of which were great. Â I am a huge eater and could not finish my plate.
We did have room for a glass of port, nice liquor selection btw and an order of their banana creme brule which was a nice end to a nice meal.
Great place, great way to ditch the sonoran mexican food blues. Â Unless you like Sonoran cheese and grease on a plate. Â These chips and salsa were great, verde salsa and multicolored corn chips. Â Yes!
Oh yeah, also very affordable, no dish is over $20, including the great steak my gf had.
First off, to that group of 30 who had such a bad experience and are now piling on the 1-star reviews: I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. You did your best to alert them to the size of your group and your needs, and they let you down. I get that. But piling on a ton of 1-star reviews, especially when most of you enjoyed your food, is over the top. IMHO there should be a single review for your entire group. But I digress.
I've been to this place 3-4 times now, and it has never disappointed. Â The food has always been fresh and flavorful, and from what I'm told, it's truly authentic New Mexico-style. Â The service has always been prompt and friendly. The only thing I don't care for is the noise - the place has a concrete floor and metal (low) ceiling, and it gets quite loud.. but not loud enough to subtract a star, the food and service makes up for it. Â Give it a try, and unless you have a huge group that overwhelms, I'll bet you love it.
But the food was excellent!
Too bad the service was so poor. Â I'd called earlier in the week (Sunday) and asked if the restaurant could handle a group of approximately 30 people from 6-8 on the following Friday. Â I was assured they could and that I should verify the reservation by Wednesday. Â They also suggested we choose from a shorter menu to expedite everything. Â Fine. Â The other organizer called to verify and was assured we were welcome. Â
I arrived early and found four round tops set aside for us, plus one end of  the bar.  We shoved the tables closer together hoping to get another one into that corner, but no such luck.  The single waiter struggled to take drink orders and then food orders as half our group ended up standing and shuffling around other patrons attempting to get to the restroom.  We did snag one more table but when we tried to get another one, a woman who I assumed was the manager asked those people to move - that table was reserved.  (Though is was not used until much later as we tried to check out)  A few of our group at the bar were at first told they couldn't order food, and another couldn't get water. Â
We realized they just couldn't hand us and tried to get our checks. Â I had to pay my drink order and my food order separately. Â Two people got their checks and the rest of us ended up standing in a line to pay our bills. Â Nobody helped this one poor waiter at all.
I realize we have a large group but we did call more than once in advance and were assured there wouldn't be a problem. Â When I mentioned to the manager that we were not please with the service she informed me that it was our fault, and that she'd warned us they were overbooked. Â Gee, I don't remember any conversation that went that way.
As far as I know, none of us had any complaints about the actual food though. Â I heard many compliments and my meal was very good. Â Its just that we were made to feel unwelcome, the service was very slow and the people at the bar seemed to have quite an attitude when our people tried to order anything but alcohol.
Don't say you can handle a large group and then drop the ball before we even get started.
I was among the large group several other reviewers mentioned that visited Blue Adobe Grille. The points they made in their reviews were right on the money. Because of that, I'll keep this short and add just a few more.
The one server taking care of the group was hit and miss. He paid attention to some and seemed to ignore others. I was encouraging him to go around the table to take each order but instead would take one at a time back to the kitchen, and ignore others as he was walking away. Not very efficient. Still, he was trying, so I'll give him that. One of the two stars above goes to him.
I shared a chicken quesadilla and bean queso dip appetizer. Nothing complicated, but it WAS good. The plates others had looked appetizing also - when and if they ever got them. That accounts for the second star.
The manager, walked up to me at one point near the end of our visit. I was standing by our assigned 4 tables chatting with another person in our group. In an annoyed voice she said, "I'm going to have to ask you to not crowd the other tables." Â I was 3 feet away from the next table - I counted the tiles on the floor just to make sure. Is 3 feet considered crowding?
Â
Those three blank stars? Lack of follow-through, lack of service and lack of accountability by the manager.
This was my second visit to Blue Adobe, and I won't be back. The first visit was for a family birthday dinner, about 10 people, and they had trouble coordinating our tables, goofed up our orders, and generally didn't seem to care about us much at all. But the food was tasty (once they got it right) so I thought I'd try again with the EVFN group.
Two of the staff seemed trying to help, but everyone else either ignored us or seemed inconvenienced by all of us ordering dinner and drinks. What a mess.
Now I know the service problem wasn't a fluke. It seems to be a restaurant living on a very good cook's skills in the kitchen, and those skills are the only reason it isn't getting a single star. For good New Mexican style food, I'd suggest Los Dos Molinos not too far away.
Having arranged our large group in advance, we were given 1/2 the space we needed, the restaurant itself was uncomfortably warm, and the service was awful - to put it nicely.
After not being allowed to sit at one of the four open tables, several of us sat at the bar next to other patrons (not with our group) who were drinking and eating. When we mentioned to the bartender, whose attention it took almost 15 minutes to get, that we would like to order, he was clearly put out at the prospect of having to deal with it.
A few minutes later when I asked for a glass of ice water, the bartender said "NO. Not at the BAR".
When our food came, it was delicious (although one of the orders was wrong).
In general the entire staff at the restaurant seemed put upon by our group.
It's a shame, really, because the food was delicious. Pretty sure I won't be returning to Blue Adobe Grill.
I wish I was rating this place higher. However, lack of follow through from management leaves me no choice.
Quick review: Got a big group? Don't bother calling and setting things up with Dianna. You'll feel like second-class citizens. It's sad, really.
I knew something was wrong when I called on Wednesday to try and see if this place could accommodate our #evfn (East Valley Friday Nights) group. When I asked the person if they could accommodate 30 people, he suggested I call back and speak with Dianna the next day. Odd, but OK.
When I spoke with Dianna on Thursday, I explained that we'd be bringing 30 people for a combination of dinner and drinks. She readily agreed that they could handle such a crowd, and said she would be happy to reserve A) a section of the bar and B) a group of tables contiguous to the bar, as not everyone would be eating dinner. Great. Sounds perfect, as some of us like to mingle, and setting us in one long table doesn't help with that.
When we arrived at the schedule time, we found four small round tables pressed together near the bar, where a grand total of three chairs were unoccupied. You do the math. 30 people it was NOT going to accommodate.
As the attendees began filing in -- and the space quickly filled -- we spoke to the management (possibly Dianna, though she never identified herself) and secured another table near us that was soon to vacate. Another four-top.
As our numbers quickly swelled to the promised 30, there simply wasn't room. And this was around 6:30, so it's not as if we were early. Some of our late arrivals grabbed an available table -- only to be rather rudely told by management that the table had been reserved and that she had "already informed them that there were no seats available.". Great. So much for making room for the 30 we had spoken about.
In the end, we called it short an hour into the evening. Having the bartender also act as our server was a huge mistake. The boy did what he could, but there was no way he could keep up with the growing bar patrons -- not our people -- and our swelling numbers. So everything was delayed -- including out trying to get the hell out of there so the place could return to normalcy. I'd not be surprised if some tabs went unpaid. Unfortunate if it happened, but patience only lasts for so long. And remember that they AGREED to allow us to bring the event to their establishment.
The kicker? When one of our attendees mentioned that things weren't  going so well. Dianne's answer? "I told the man who called that we couldn't handle this size of a group, but you all decided to come anyhow!"
So in the end, the shitty review. You'll probably see more. Up front I said this was unfortunate. And it's true, for the food was excellent. I had chili rellenos and was quite impressed. However, I'll never go back to this place because of bad service. And mind you, all of this was pre-arranged. We never went over our promised 30 people. Hell, they couldn't handle us when we were less than 20. It's not even communication failure. It's follow through failure.
So feel free to try this group when it's a party of 2. Anything larger... you're on your own. And forget reservations. And abandon the idea of talking to Dianna. She obviously isn't anyone who can follow through.
To simply label this another variety of Mexican restaurant would be disingenuous. Â On any given night when it's cooler you can smell the Pecan wood burning in the grill when you drive past. The menu is labeled by the owners as "New Mexican" cuisine, and can pass just about any sort of snob test for its price range and even a bit higher- although the facade of the building and the overall feel of the place is a bit downscale.
The salsa is medium with a genuine smoky flavor, the salads are fantastic with European style Goat and Mexican Cotija cheeses, and the Chicken and Pork entrees are far and away better , and more original, than anything you will find in a shopping center close the I-10 in Chandler. If you choose something other than the normal Southwestern style fare: Enchilada/Relleno/ Chimichanga (which are good), you will most likely be treated to the taste of a real pecan fire. For dessert try a Southwestern Tiramasu- Wow.
Solid restaurant, I went here b/c it was close the Mesa Arts Center ([rave] that place is awesome! [/rave]) and was pretty pleased with the experience. Â I'd heard good things about it on Chowhound, and so was expecting solid food. Â They have a very New Mexican menu that seems to be heavy on the seafood special. Â I got the blue crab enchilada and was quite pleased with the flavors and freshness of the sauce and rice, while the enchilada itself was literally stuffed with tender, moist crab. Â I also had a delicious prickly pear margarita. Â
The atmosphere is kind of interesting: the decor is surprisingly stylish, with the specials written in chalk on several big boards on the wall, and an inviting, pleasing palette of colors throughout. Â The open layout was kind of funky, and I was a bit disappointed there were no booths in the entire place. Â You could tell they didn't have a huge remodeling budget when they opened, but they did pretty well with what they had. Â The neighborhood isn't great, but I don't hold that against the place. Â I do think the time is ripe for a West Mesa revival, a la 7th and Melrose or the Sunnyslope area. Â You heard it here first... Â (I really need to get a blog again)
Overall, a good-to-great experience, and I'll definitely plan on going there again prior to MAC shows, but I doubt I would drive out to downtown Mesa to eat there again just for itself. Â It's not quite a standout in a pretty crowded genre, but it's certainly a solid choice for those in the area.
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